14 Facts About Clerkenwell

Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington.

Goswell Street formed the eastern boundary of the Clerkenwell parishes, with the River Fleet, now buried beneath Farringdon Road and other streets, forming the western boundary with Holborn and, in part, St Pancras.

Clerkenwell took its name from the Clerks' Well in Farringdon Lane .

Clerkenwell was home to Witherbys, a printing company who have now split ownership, with the printers having relocated to North London and the publishers to Scotland .

In Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, Clerkenwell Green is where Fagin and the Artful Dodger induct Oliver into pickpocketing amongst shoppers in the busy market once held there.

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Clerkenwell Green has historically been associated with radicalism, from the Lollards in the 16th century, the Chartists in the 19th century and communists in the early 20th century.

In 2011, an anti-cuts protest march departed from Clerkenwell and ended with a rally at Trafalgar Square demanding trade union rights, human rights and international solidarity.

Clerkenwell St James was an ancient parish in the Finsbury division of the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex.

Amongst other sectors, there is a notable concentration of design professions around Clerkenwell, and supporting industries such as high-end designer furniture showrooms.

Clerkenwell is home to some of the best restaurants in London, including St John and the Michelin-starred Club Gascon.

Clerkenwell is the home of several bars including Smith's of Smithfield and The Slaughtered Lamb.

Clerkenwell is in the London Congestion Charge Zone, as well as the London Low Emission and Ultra Low Emission Zones.

The A5201 runs through Clerkenwell, linking Soho and Holborn in Central London with Shoreditch and the A10 to Clerkenwell's east.

Cycle Superhighway 6 runs north–south through Clerkenwell, which provides the area with direct links to King's Cross, Bloomsbury, Blackfriars and Elephant and Castle on a signed cycle route.